The feeling I would have would be as good of a feeling as when I heard about the Supreme Court ruling on marriage.”
“If Kentucky were to embrace legislation prohibiting anti-LGBT legislation, I would be ecstatic about it,” Ron said. “It’s a scary thought that we could be denied anything because of someone’s personal feelings about LGBT people.” – Ron Ebling That’s why Eric, Ron, and a growing number of people across Kentucky are calling for statewide protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. So even if the clerk at the jeweler told Eric, “I don’t want to serve you because you’re gay,” she wouldn’t be breaking any state laws. Kentucky is one of 32 states where LGBT people are not fully protected by state-level non-discrimination laws. It’s a scary thought that we could be denied anything because of someone’s personal feelings about LGBT people.” “We had conversations about going to see my family and going to a restaurant and how they could legally kick us out,” Ron said. The bill effectively allowed a broad “License to Discriminate” for individuals and businesses in Indiana. As an Indiana native, he was instantly struck by memories of the anti-LGBT “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” being passed in the state in 2015. When Ron learned about the discrimination his fiancé experienced, it rang all too familiar for him. But the fact that Ron and Eric now no longer feel comfortable returning to the Owensboro location because of the discrimination they faced is inexcusable - and could have been prevented with broader education and an understanding that discrimination simply is not tolerated in the Kentucky or in any state. Ron alerted customer service at the jeweler about the incident, and after some back and forth - and persistence from Ron - Kay’s apologized, and when the couple visited a store in nearby Evansville, Indiana, they didn’t experience anti-LGBT discrimination. “We saw how exciting that experience was, and I would have wanted to have a similar experience as that.”Įric and Ron eventually sorted things out with the jeweler. “The clerks were going out of their way to be helpful, congratulate him, show him different ring options,” Ron said. A year before, he and Ron had gone into the same store with their friend, a man, who was planning to propose to his girlfriend. Will you help him?'” Ron explained about the situation.Įric was stunned and uncomfortable - but he had already spent so much time looking at rings on the store’s website and in person, and he just wanted to get a ring and get out - so he did, but the experience wasn’t positive.Įric had expected a happier encounter. “She stopped what she was doing, yelled for one of the other clerks to come over, and she said, ‘I’m not helping him anymore - I’m going to go over there and do something else. As they spoke, the basics about the relationship came up - Eric wanted to propose on Christmas Day, they had been together for three and a half years, the lucky person’s name was Ron.Īlmost immediately, the clerk froze up, her attitude entirely changed. The clerk was helpful at first, showing him different rings to try on and look at more closely. For many couples, the trip to the jeweler is the first step in a months-long wedding planning process, dotted with key landmark experiences.īut for Eric Ebling, the experience was one marked by rejection, stained by an uncomfortable encounter with a store clerk who refused to serve him as soon as she learned that he would be proposing to the man he had been in love with for years - and not a woman.Įric went to the Kay Jewelers in Owensboro, Kentucky, right by their home. Shopping for an engagement ring and planning a marriage proposal for the person you love is supposed to be a positive experience - a meditation of sorts on your plans to begin building a life together, an exploration of tradition and symbolism. Kentucky Same-Sex Couple’s Negative Ring-Shopping Experience Underlines Reality of LGBT Discrimination
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